In the brave new world of the 41 Police and crime commissioners, the incumbents are going to have to hit the ground running.
Already pencilled in are meetings with their Police and Crime Panels to review the new Commissioners’ Police and Crime Plan, and exercise control over their forces’ council tax precept.
On the road ahead, part of the Commissioners agenda will be sorting out the nuts and bolts of their job – and they will need to be visible, trusted and efficient. From commissioning new services and decommissioning old services, to appointing and monitoring the appointment of the Chief Officer team, they will have their hands full. They will also have to meet the needs of the Police and Crime Plan, and the Strategic Police Requirement.
The commissioners will also have to overcome a difficult start to their public relations profile – a 15 per cent turnout in the PCC election has emboldened critics of the biggest change in policing in the country for many years.
To achieve their goals they must embrace multi-agency working, including dealing with the private sector. The difficulty in keeping so many plates in the air at once will require new more efficient ways of working, if they are to succeed.
This will include working with the third/voluntary sector in an effort to increase efficiency, and get more for less. Though these sectors may not be well-equipped for such work, and will need intimate support to help them rise to the challenge.
pam, our collaborative software solution, can be a platform for allowing PCCs to spread new working practices around their partners, by inspiring new ways of looking at the changes that are necessary.
Sussex PCC Katy Bourne will already have a head start in keeping on top of these multiple requirements, as the former Sussex Police Authority has already been using pam.
Our software solution enables much greater efficiency, both within organisations and across multi-agency projects, by enabling real-time communication and monitoring of all aspects of work as it progresses.
The former West Midlands Police Authority has also used pam to help with their transition programme to the new PCC system, which has seen their new commissioner Bob Jones elected.
pam has been invaluable in their efforts, shining a light on various aspects of the transition process, bringing visibility and clarity in a time of change.
We hope these experiences with pam, and the culture change it can bring, will inspire the new PCCs to exceed even their own expectations.